Teens help orphans in Kenya through Houston Marathon

Teenagers Katherine Kaiser, left, and Avery Agosto are doing their part for Kenyan orphans.

Teenagers Katherine Kaiser, left, and Avery Agosto are doing their part for Kenyan orphans.

Photo: Â Tony Bullard 2014, Freelance Photographer

Image 2 of 2

Katherine Kaiser (seated at left) and Avery Agosto (seated at right) and the rest of Team Oasis hope to raise $10,000 this weekend.

Katherine Kaiser (seated at left) and Avery Agosto (seated at right) and the rest of Team Oasis hope to raise $10,000 this weekend.

Photo: Â Tony Bullard 2014, Freelance Photographer

Teens help orphans in Kenya through Houston Marathon

1 / 2

Back to Gallery

Not far from the finish line, Sarah Kiptoo giddily headed out Saturday morning for her final pre-race workout less than 24 hours before the Chevron Houston Marathon. The Kenyan contender has raced around the world, but this warm-up was different. It was more personal, meaningful, intimate practically.

As Kiptoo headed down Crawford, her smile seemingly got wider with each step as she moved closer to nearly two dozen Memorial-area teenagers wearing orange T-shirts that declared, "We Run for Kenya."

Kiptoo was eager to meet the Houston teenagers and families who decided to raise funds during the race weekend to benefit Oasis for Orphans, which sponsors more than a hundred children through two orphanages in the slums of Nairobi.

"I feel so good and happy because they're helping our people," Kiptoo said. "We appreciate and are happy to know that there are other people that care for us."

Translator

To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.

AIDS, riots and other disasters have resulted in some 2.4 million orphans in Kenya. Oasis for Orphans, a faith-based charity based in the Chicago area, has a small group of supporters in the Memorial area.

Leaving comfort zone

Avery Agosto and Katherine Kaiser, a pair of 14-year-old friends from Memorial, are two of Team Oasis' leaders in Houston.

They definitely sacrificed to prepare for Saturday's 5K. They don't necessarily like to run. The Memorial Middle School eighth-graders would rather play basketball, soccer or volleyball.

"I love to see kids run on behalf of other kids on the other side of the world," said Kim Huffman, Team Oasis' race director. "It's a pretty powerful connection when kids in America who have everything can give of themselves and do something hard and sacrificial for the sake of kids in Kenya."

As Avery and Katherine shared stories of the orphans their families sponsor through Oasis, they methodically built up their running group in hopes of raising $5,000 for the charity. Before they knew it, they had more than 20 members on their team.

Houston's Team Oasis comprises mostly Memorial Middle School students, but it includes some Stratford High students and a few adults.

"It's pretty great how all of our friends are ready to pitch in and help us," Katherine said. "We feel great about it."

Avery, Katherine and her older sister, Charlotte, raised $3,000 two years ago by drawing a crowd of more than 100 kids to a "Chicken Dance." The event wasn't named for the infamously popular polka dance, though. The girls named that event the "Chicken Dance" because it raised money to build chicken coops for Oasis' orphanages in Nairobi.

Spreading the word

It didn't take Avery and Katherine long to surpass their initial goal of $5,000 for this weekend's races. Team Oasis members hope to raise $10,000 this weekend through Sunday's Houston Marathon and Aramco Half Marathon and Saturday's ABB 5K.

"I'm really excited for this opportunity," Avery said. "I think this is really cool. I feel really fortunate to have this opportunity. We've shared stories from Africa and pictures of our sisters we sponsor in Africa with our friends, and they're interested to help because they see what we see."

Oasis currently serves 151 orphans over two sites in Kenya, including a dormitory facility in Nairobi. Oasis is in the process of building a family-style home to serve 50 more children.

"The primary audience are children who have lost one or both parents, oftentimes because of AIDS," said Global Orphan Crisis author Diane Lynn Elliot, who serves as Oasis' stateside director. "The need is so great. … These kids have nothing."

Avery and Katherine wore large pins with the faces of the Kenyan orphans their families sponsor. They speak with the girls they sponsor at least twice a year either through phone calls or Skype.

Star runners take notice

Team Oasis' efforts were brought to the attention of two of the elite runners - Kiptoo and Dominic Ondoro - who will compete in the Chevron Houston Marathon. Kiptoo, who is considered a contender in the women's race, and Ondoro welcomed the opportunity to meet and run in the 5K Saturday with the girls.

Although Katherine's family and Avery's mom have visited Oasis' orphanages in Kenya, the girls haven't made the trip yet.

Through Kiptoo and Ondoro, though, the girls were at least able to make a connection. Kiptoo and Ondoro even donned Team Oasis' orange shirts to run the 5K.

"We appreciate what you do," Kiptoo told one of the mothers in the group before running behind the rest of Team Oasis.